The Meaning of Jeremiah 2:22 Explained

Jeremiah 2:22

KJV: For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

YLT: But though thou dost wash with nitre, And dost multiply to thyself soap, Marked is thine iniquity before Me, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

Darby: For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much potash, thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord Jehovah.

ASV: For though thou wash thee with lye, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For though thou wash  thee with nitre,  and take thee much  soap,  [yet] thine iniquity  is marked  before  me, saith  the Lord  GOD. 

What does Jeremiah 2:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Israel could not cleanse herself of her iniquity. Ritual ablutions and sacrifices would not do the job (cf. 1 John 1:7). "Lye" was a mineral alkali cleanser, and "soap" was a vegetable alkali cleanser.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 2

1  God having shown his former kindness,
5  expostulates with the people on their causeless and unexampled revolt
14  They are the causes of their own calamities
18  The sins and idolatries of Judah
35  Her confidence is rejected

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 2:22 mean?

For though you wash yourself with lye and use much to soap [Yet] is marked your iniquity before Me says the Lord GOD
כִּ֤י אִם־ תְּכַבְּסִי֙ בַּנֶּ֔תֶר וְתַרְבִּי־ לָ֖ךְ בֹּרִ֑ית נִכְתָּ֤ם עֲוֺנֵךְ֙ לְפָנַ֔י נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה

אִם־  though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תְּכַבְּסִי֙  you  wash  yourself 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: כָּבַס  
Sense: to wash (by treading), be washed, perform the work of a fuller.
בַּנֶּ֔תֶר  with  lye 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֶתֶר  
Sense: natron, nitre, soda, carbonate of soda.
וְתַרְבִּי־  and  use  much 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
בֹּרִ֑ית  soap 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֹּרִית  
Sense: lye, potash, soap, alkali (used in washing).
נִכְתָּ֤ם  [Yet]  is  marked 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: כָּתַם  
Sense: (Niphal) to be stained, be defiled, be deeply stained.
עֲוֺנֵךְ֙  your  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
לְפָנַ֔י  before  Me 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
נְאֻ֖ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֥י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִֽה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.